Endangered Komodo Dragons

Describes the physical characteristics of the Komodo dragon and the conservation efforts being carried out to keep it from becoming extinct.

More than twenty years have passed since Walter Auffenberg's monumental The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor. In the intervening years the populations of Komodo dragons—native only to a handful of islands in southeast Indonesia—have dwindled, sparking intensive conservation efforts. During the last two decades new information about these formidable predators has emerged, and the most important findings are clearly presented here. A memoir from Walter Auffenberg and his son Kurt is followed by the latest information on Komodo dragon biology, ecology, population distribution, and behavior. The second part of the book is dedicated to step-by-step management and conservation techniques, both for wild and captive dragons. This successful model is a useful template for the conservation of other endangered species as well, for, as Kurt and Walter Auffenberg note, “The species may well indeed survive in the wild for generations to come while countless other organisms are lost.”

Prowling several small, remote islands in Indonesia, the Komodo dragon, is the world's largest lizard. This book examines the giant lizard's physical characteristics, how it hunts and kills its prey, and its status as an endangered species.

There are over 5,600 species of lizards, and they vary wildly. The smallest known lizard is the gecko. The largest is the Komodo Dragon. Readers will learn about the habitats, behaviors, and more of both species. This informative book encourages critical thinking through comparison.

Describes the physical characteristics, behaviors, and life cycle of the endangered lizard.

Meet the monstrous Komodo Dragon as it prowls Indonesian islands! This book introduces the unique features of this wild animal including habitat, life cycle, physical characteristics, diet, threats, and defenses. Also included are a range map and a food chain diagram. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

In the early 1920’s, renowned American geologist, naturalist and hunter, William Douglas Burden, led expeditions to the Arctic as well as to tropical islands. His most widely publicized expedition was to the Dutch East Indies to the Island of Komodo in 1926. He and his first wife, Catherine White Burden, and their party went looking for a fierce direct descendent of the dinosaur, Varanus Komodoensis, which came to be known as the Komodo dragon and which had been rumored to be as long as 30 feet. No white man had captured one, and Mr. Burden was determined to do so...

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. But these apex predators face many challenges, and today they are endangered. In this title, leveled text will teach readers about the threats the lizards face while vibrant photos bring the Komodo dragons to life on the page. Special features highlight the importance of Komodo dragons in their ecosystem, provide a map of their range, and give a visual aid to show the impacts of humans on the dragons. Together, we can save Komodo dragons!